Spray nozzle having stabilizing tube and vane unit



3, 1966 E. J. O'BRIEN ETAL 3,268,176

SPRAY NOZZLE HAVING STABILIZING TUBE AND VANE UNIT Filed Aug. 7, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 c 5 5 4 s 4 z z 1966 E. J. OBRIEN ETAL 3,268,176

SPRAY NOZZLE HAVING STABILIZING TUBE AND VANE UNIT Filed Aug. 7, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,268,176 SPRAY NOZZLE HAVING STABlLlZllNG TUBE AND VANE UNIT Edward J. OBrien, Glen Ellyn, and Robert P. Williams, Naperville, Ill, assignors to Spraying Systems Co., a corporation of Iliinois Filed Aug. '7, 1964, Ser. No. 388,136 18 Claims. (Cl. 239553.5)

This invention relates to liquid spraying equipment and particularly to stabilizing the sprays produced by spray nozzles in such equipment.

In many liquid spraying installations it is found that there is a tendency for the sprays to wobble or to become distorted, and this difiiculty is encountered in both high pressure and low pressure installations. An example of such a situation is found in steel mill descaling equipment where fiat spray nozzles are employed in surface cleaning or de-scaling operations, the liquid such as water is discharged from the nozzles at high pressure and at close range so as to produce the high impact that is desirable for such cleaning or de-scaling. Usually the nozzles are stationary and the material to be cleaned is moved rapidly past the spray impact area, as for example, in descaling operations in steel mills where the rolled sheet from a rolling mill passes a plurality of fiat spray nozzles arranged in spaced relation along a line that is transverse to the path of movement of the sheet. In such an installation the several nozzles are arranged with their spray patterns at a slight angle to such transverse line so that there is no interference between the spray discharges of the several nozzles and so that there is a small yet effective lateral overlapping of the spray patterns with respect to the line of travel of the sheet that is being de-scaled.

De-scaling installations of the aforesaid character usually involve the mounting of the nozzles on a water supply header which supports the nozzles in the desired array transversely of the path of advancing movement of the sheet that is being de-scaled, and because a certain amount of foreign matter is usually present in the water used in such instances, it is usually considered to be essential that an individual strainer be associated with each nozzle immediately upstream thereof. Thus, in such instances, the strainers must be located within the supply header.

The strainers employed in installations of the aforesaid character have been of the conventional type used in the liquid spraying art where a central passage in an elongated metal body is closed at one end and opens at the other and axially into the approach passage of the nozzle, the body having spaced transverse slots cut therein so that water may enter laterally into the central passage and travel longitudinally thereof to the nozzle for discharge.

It has been found in such installations that at the high pressures and flow rates required for de-scaling and like operations, the close coupling of the nozzles with respect to the header, and the presence of the strainers cause improper and undesirable operations of the spray nozzles that tends to reduce the efliciency and uniformity of the de-scaling operation. Thus, each of the nozzles is intended to produce a straight and relatively narrow spray pattern that remains stationary so as to maintain uniformity of cooperation with adjacent nozzles in accomplishing a uniform de-scaling action, but when conventional strainers are employed in the relationship above described, it is found that there is a marked distortion of the desired straight spray pattern and that this is coupled with an erratic wobbling of the individual sprays so that sporadic interference of adjacent sprays destroys the desired uniformity of the de-scaling action.

In view of the foregoing, it is the primary object of the present invention to enable the operation of the spray nozzles in such installations to be improved in such a way as to eliminate distortion and wobbling of the spray pattern and thus insure uniformity in the resulting de-scaling action, and an object related to the foregoing is to enable this to be accomplished in a simple and economical manner.

A further important object of this invention is to control the flow of liquid into and through a strainer and into a spray nozzle in such a manner that uniformity and stability of the spray pattern is attained, and a related object is to achieve this objective through the provision of flow controlling means that cooperates with a conventional slotted strainer and a conventional fiat spray nozzle in maintaining the desired spray pattern as well as the stability of the spray.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which show structure embodying preferred features of the present invention and the principles thereof, and What is now considered to be the best mode in which to apply these principles.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional descaling installation of the type in which the present invention is used;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the desired flat spray pattern;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a distorted spray pattern and the displacement or wobbling thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view showing a spray nozzle-strainer installation embodying the invention;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross sectional views taken respectively along the lines 5-5 and 66 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the strainer body; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the tube element of the flow governing means.

For purposes of disclosure the invention is herein illustrated in FIG. 1 as employed in descaling apparatus 10 where a continuous hot metal sheet 11, advancing at a high rate of speed as it leaves the forming rolls in a steel mill, passes between upper and lower supply head-v ers 12 and 14 so that hard hitting sprays S of water discharged from spaced spray nozzles 15 carried on and supplied with water by the respective headers, may be discharged against the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet 11 to loosen and remove scale from such surfaces. The spray nozzles 15, which are of known form and construction as will be described in detail hereinafter, are of the flat spray type designed to produce a long narrow spray pattern P with rounded ends, as shown in FIG. 2, and the nozzles 15 are rotatively set on their supporting headers 112 and 14 so that the individual spray patterns P of the several nozzles will be disposed at a slight angle to the path of movement of the sheet 11 and with respect to this path, will be slightly overlapped, as shown in FIG. 1. This arrangement prevents interference of adjacent sprays S, and promotes uniformity of descaling over the surface of the advancing sheet 11.

To aid in attaining trowble-free spray nozzle performance it is customary to employ individual slotted -'body strainers associated with the respective nozzles and located within the related water supply header, and experience has shown that such strainers, particularly when the water is fed to the headers at high pressure, tend to cause distortion or wobbling of the individual sprays S with resultant variations in the descaling action of the apparatus. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the desired straight spray pattern may assume various curved or irregular forms such as the modified Z shape shown at P1, and the spray S may wobble back and forth as indicated by the dotted line positions of the spray pattern P-1. Such wobbling and distortion may occur simultaneously, or independently. Wobblmg of the sprays S of course results in interference of adjacent sprays, both wobbling and spray pattern distortion have been considered to be objectionable as reducing the uniformity and efiiciency of the descaling action.

In accordance with the present invention, such objectionable distortion and wobbling of the spray S has been overcome by the provision of a novel association of flow control means with the strainer and the discharge tip of the nozzle, as shown particularly in FIGS. 4 to 6 of the drawings. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, a conventional flat spray tip is mounted by means of a retainer 21 and a bushing 22 in the lower end of an adapter 23 that is extended radially through the header 12 and has a slotted body strainer 24 associated therewith within the header so that water from the header 12 feeds through the strainer 24 and the adapter 23 for discharge from the spray tip 20.

The adapter 23 has a wrench flange 23W with an upwardly extending nipple 23N that is threaded externally and screwed radially into the header 12, and below the wrench flange 23W an enlarged lower nipple 123N is provided that is internally threaded to receive the retainer 21, and is externally threaded to receive a shut-off cap 25 when a particular nozzle is to be disabled.

The spray tip 20 comprises an elongated body 203 having a wrench flange 20W intermediate its ends and at its upper end an externally threaded nipple 20N is provided. The body 20B extends downwardly beyond the wrench flange 20W and an internal passage 120 extends downwardly through the nipple 20N. The pas sage 120 has a tapered or converging upper portion 120T that merges with an intermediate cylindrical approach portion 120A which in turn merges with a reduced domed end portion 120D that locates the extremity of the dome relatively close to the flat lower end face 20F of the tip body 2013. In the face 20F a transverse slot 208 is formed so that the rounded bottom of the slot 208 intersects the domed portion 1201) to form an elongated spray orifice that shapes the discharged water into a flat spray S. The lower end portion of the tip 20 has parallel flat Wrench faces 220F formed thereon parallel to the slot 208 to aid in rotatively setting the tip 20, as will be described.

The tip 20 is assembled with respect to the adapter bushing 22 by threading the nipple 20N of the tip into an internally threaded nipple 22N that forms the lower portion of the bushing. The bushing 22 has a hexagonal central passage 22W extended downwardly therethrough and this serves as a wrench socket for assembly purposes. Intermediate its ends the bushing 22 has an outward annular flange 22F which, in mounting of the bushing-tip assembly, is engaged by the upper end of the retainer 21, as will become evident as the description proceeds. Thus, the retainer 21 is in the form of a nipple 21N with a wrench flange 21W at its lower end, and the bushing-tip assembly 22-i20 is fitted into the retainer 21 with the flange 22F of the bushing 22 resting on the upper end of the nipple 21N. In this relationship the hit sides 220F of the tip are disposed below the lower end of the retainer 21. The retainer 21 is then screwed into the internally threaded nipple 123N of the adapter 23 to engage a tapered surface 22R of the bushing 22 with a complement-a1 tapered seat 2ST. The flat wrench surfaces 220F are used to hold the spray tip 20 in the desired position of rotative adjustment.

The strainer 24 has a conventionally formed body 124 made from metal bar stock centrally bored from its upper end to form a central passage 24F that is reduced near the lower end of the body to form a smaller passage 124P, and the two passages meet at an upwardly sloping shoulder 248. The lower end portion of the body 124 is formed as an external nipple 24N that is threaded into the nipple 23N of the adapter 23, and a Wrench flange 24 W formed on the strainer body 124 just above the nipple 24N and is of a smaller dimension than the nipple 23N so that the strainer 24 may be carried by the adapter 23 when the adapter is put in place on the header 12. The upper end of the passage 24]? is closed by a screw plug 24T, and in the space between the screw plug 24T and the wrench flange 24W the wall of the strainer body 124 has a series of transverse slots 1 24S milled therein to define parallel, closely spaced strainer Ibars 24B. The slots 1248 are milled in the cylindrical surface of the strainer body 124, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 so that the bars 24B are joined at spaced points by integral connectors 240.

With the nozzle and strainer formed and mounted as thus far described, the resulting spray S tends to distort and wobble, but under the present invention this is overcome through the provision of a flow control assembly 30, FIGS. 4 and 8, that is located partially within the strainer body 124 and which acts on and controls the flowing water until such water enters the converging approach throat T of the spray tip. The flow control assembly 30 comprises an elongated tube 31 with a vane unit 32 associated with one end of the tube. The tube 31 has a diameter such that the tube may be slideably extended through the passage IMF, and at its other or lower end the tube 3 1 has a tapered surface 31T adapted to seat on the tapered surface 120T of the spray tip 20. When the tapered lower end surface 31T is thus seated in the tapered approach passage 120T, a snap ring 31R seated in an external annular groove 31G in the tube 31 is located in upwardly spaced relation to the shoulder 248, FIG. 4, but in this location the snap ring 3 1R is nevertheless disposed below the lowermost slot 248. The snapring 3 1R has a slight clearance with respect to the passage 24F, and when the bushing tip assembly 22-20 is removed, the tube 31 is held against undue downward displacement by engagement of the snap ring 3 1R with the shoulder 248.

The vane unit 32 is provided by short length of a cruciform metal extrusion, the flat, plate-like vanes or arms 32A of which are relatively thin and chamferred at their corners at 32C, and the maximum transverse dimension of the vane unit is slightly less than the diameter of the central passage 24P. The length of the vane unit is preferably somewhat less than one-half the length of the slotted portion of the strainer body 124, and the unit 32 is mounted on the upper end of the tube 3 1 so that when the tube is in its normal position, the upper end of the vane unit 32 is spaced downwardly from the lower face of the plug 24T. For mounting the vane unit 32, the upper end 31E of the tube 31 has diametric slots 318 out therein to receive the respective arms 32A in a press fit relation, and the depth of the slots is such that slightly more than one-half of the length of the arms 32A is disposed in the slots while the balance projects upwardly beyond the upper end 31E of the tube 31. With the vane unit 32 positioned as described and properly centered with respect to the tube 31, the end 31E of the tube is staked adjacent the arms 32A so as to hold the vane unit 32 and the tube 31 in assembled relation.

With the flow control assembly 30 in place as shown in FIG. 4, water, of course, enters the central passage 24P of the strainer through all of the entry slots 248, but after such entry, the water from most of the slots 248, in order to enter the upper end of the tube 31, must travel upwardly between the projecting edge portions of the vanes where it merges with water that has entered the slots 248 located above the upper end 31E of the tube 31. At the level just above the upper end 31E of the tube 31 where the water flowing in from different directions is merged, the vane unit 32 is effective to guide and control the water flow as it enters the tube 31. The water then has a long straight flow path through the tube 31 before it enters the converging throat 120T, the approach passage and the domed end 120D, so that the resulting spray S is flat and remains stable. Thus distortion and wobbling of the spray S are eliminated.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention enables the operation of descaling spray installation to be improved so as to eliminate distortion and wobbling of the sprays, and further that this has been accomplished in a simple and economical manner.

It will also be evident that by maintaining the desired spray pattern as well as the stability of the sprays, the present invention assures uniformity in the descaling action of the spray apparatus.

Thus, while preferred constructional features of the in vention are embodied in the structure illustrated herein, it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appending claims.

We claim:

1. In a flow control assembly for association with a spray tip-strainer installation, an elongated tube having an annular tapered edge at one end and an elongated vane unit mounted at the other end of the tube and providing fiat plate-like arms, the flat faces of which extend longitudinally of the tube with portions of the arms located within said other end of said tube.

2. A flow control assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said vane unit has the radial arms thereof disposed in planes passing through the axis of the tube and in which the arms project uniformly beyond the outer side of the tube.

3. A flow control assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said vane unit has the radial arms thereof disposed in planes passing through the axis of the tube and in which the arms project uniformly beyond the outer side of the tube, and wherein said other end of the said tube has radial slots therein and said unit comprises an elongated cruciform extrusion, the arms of which are press fitted into said slots so as to project equally beyond the outside of the tube.

4. A flow control assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said vane unit has the radial arms thereof disposed in planes passing through the axis of the tube and in which the arms project uniformly beyond the outer side of the tube, wherein said other end of said tube has radial slots therein and said same unit comprises an elongated cruciform extrusion that has a length greater than the depth of the slots with the arms press fitted into said slots so as to project equally beyond the outside of the tube.

5. In spray apparatus having a supply header, an adapter fitting opening radially into said header and having a spray tip mounted therein exteriorly of said header, a slotted body strainer carried by said fitting within the header, and a flow control assembly mounted in part with said fitting and in part within said strainer and comprising an elongated tube having an annular tapered edge engaging and opening into the spray tip at one end, and an elongated vane unit mounted at the other end of the tube within the strainer and providing flat plate-like arms, the flat faces of which extend longitudinally of the tube and with portions of the arms located within said other end of said tube.

6. Spray apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said vane unit has the radial arms thereof disposed in planes passing through the axis of the tube and in which the arms project uniformly beyond the outer side of the tube.

7. Spray apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said vane unit has the radial arms thereof disposed in planes passing through the axis of the tube and in which the arms project uniformly beyond the outer side of the tube, and wherein said other end of said tube has radial slots therein and said unit comprises an elongated cruciform extrusion, the arms of which are press fitted into said slots so as to project equally beyondthe outside of the tube.

8. Spray apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said vane unit has the radial arms thereof disposed in planes passing through the axis of the tube and in which the arms project uniformly beyond the outer side of the tube, wherein said other end of said tube has radial slots therein and said same unit comprises an elongated cruciform extrusion that has a length greater than the depth of the slots with the arms press fitted into said slots so as to project equally beyond the outside of the tube.

9. In spray apparatus for association with a supply header, an adapter fitting having an inlet nipple adapted to be threaded radially into such a header and having a spray tip mounted therein at its other end where it will be located exteriorly of such a header, a slotted body strainer carried by said nipple of said fitting in position to be located within such a header, and a flow control assembly mounted in part within said fitting and in part Within said strainer and comprising an elongated tube having an annular tapered edge engaging and opening into the spray tip at one end, and an elongated vane unit mounted at the other end of the tube within the strainer and providing fiat plate-like arms, the fiat faces of which extend longitudinally of the tube and with portions of the arms located within said other end of said tube.

10. Spray apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein said vane unit has the radial arms thereof disposed in planes passing through the axis of the tube and in which the arms project uniformly beyond the outer side of the tube.

11. Spray apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein said vane unit has the radial arms thereof disposed in planes passing through the axis of the tube and in which the arms project uniformly beyond the outer side of the tube, and wherein said outer end of said tube has radial slots therein and said unit comprises an elongated cruciform extrusion, the arms of which are press fitted into said slots so as to project equally beyond the outside of the tube.

12. Spray apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said vane unit has the radial arms thereof disposed in planes passing through the axis of the tube and in which the arms project uniformly beyond the outer side of the tube, wherein said other end of said tube has radial slots therein and said same unit comprises an elongated cruciform extrusion that has a length greater than the depth of the slots with the arms press fitted into said slots so as to project equally beyond the outside of the tube.

13. In spray apparatus for association with a liquid supply header, an elongated adapter fitting having a longitudinal passage therethrough with an annular seat intermediate its ends facing toward one end, a bushing adapted to fit within said end of said passage and having a shoulder adapted to engage said seat, a spray tip threaded axially into and carried by said bushing, a retainer collar threaded onto said end of said adapter fitting and holding said bushing and said spray tip in a fixed axial and rotative relation with respect to the fitting with said shoulder engaging said seat, said fitting having a nipple at its other end adapted to be threaded through such a header, a slotted body strainer carried by said nipple of said fitting in position to be located within such a header, and a flow control assembly mounted in part within said fitting and in part within said strainer and comprising an elongated tube having an annular tapered edge engaging and opening into the spray tip at one end, an elongated vane unit mounted at the other end of the tube Within the strainer and providing fiat plate-like arms, the flat faces of which extend longitudinally of the tube and with portions of the arms located within the other end of said tube, and cooperating means on the the tube and said strainer for supporting said flow control unit in position when said bushing and spray tip are removed from the fitting.

14. In a flow control assembly for association with a spray tip installation, an elongated tube having an annular tapered edge at one end adapted to be seated against the inlet of a spray tip and an elongated vane unit mounted at the other end of the tube and providing flat platelike arms, the flat faces of which extend longitudinally of the tube with portions of the arms located within said other end of said tube.

15. A fiow control assembly defined in claim 14 wherein said vane unit has the radial arms thereof disposed in planes passing through the axis of the tube and in which the arms project uniformly beyond the outer side of the tube.

16. A flow control assembly as defined in claim 14 wherein said vane unit has the radial arms thereof disposed in planes passing through the axis of the tube and in which the arms project uniformly beyond the outer side of the tube, and wherein said other end of the said tube has radial slots therein and said unit comprises an elongated cruciform extrusion, the arms of which are press fitted into said slots so as to project equally beyond the outside of the tube.

17. In spray apparatus having a supply header, an adapter fitting opening radially into said header and having a spray tip mounted therein exteriorly of said header, a holder carried by said fitting within the header, and a flow control assembly mounted in part with said fitting and in part within said holder and comprising an elongated tube having an annular tapered edge engaging and opening into the spray tip at one end, and an elongated vane unit mounted at the other end of the tube within the strainer and providing flat plate-like arms, the flat faces of which extend longitudinally of the tube and with portions of the arms located within said other end of said tube.

18. In spray appartus for association with a liquid supply header, an elongated adapter fitting having a longitudinal passage therethrough with an annular seat intermediate its ends facing toward one end, a bushing adapted to fit within said end of said passage and having a shoulder adapted to engage said seat, a spray tip threaded axially into and carried by said bushing, a retainer collar threaded onto said end of said adapter fitting and holding said bushing and said spray tip in a fixed axial and rotative relation with respect to the fitting with said shoulder engaging said seat, said fitting having a nipple at its other end adapted to be threaded through such a header, a holder carried by said nipple of said fitting in position to be located Within such a header, and a flow control assembly mounted in part within said fitting and in part within said holder and comprising an elongated tube having an annular tapered edge engaging and opening into the spray tip at one end, an elongated vane unit mounted at the other end of the tube within the holder and providing fiat plate-like arms, the flat faces of which extend longitudinally of the tube and with portions of the arms located within the other end of said tube, and cooperating means on the tube and said strainer for sup porting said flow control unit in position when said bushing and spray tip are removed from the fitting.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

R. S. STROBEL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A FLOW CONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR ASSOCIATION WITH A SPRAY TIP-STRAINER INSTALLATION, AN ELONGATED TUBE HAVING AN ANNULAR TAPERED EDGE AT ONE END AND AN ELONGATED VANE UNIT MOUNTED AT THE OTHER END OF THE TUBE AND PROVIDING FLAT PLATE-LIKE ARMS, THE FLAT FACES OF WHICH EXTEND LONGITUDINALLY OF THE TUBE WITH PORTIONS OF THE ARMS LOCATED WITHIN SAID OTHER END OF SAID TUBE. 